Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1516: I don't care about the why, I need the where (2)

Before Yang Qing could explain that it was only Bu Zhou's spiritual manifestation that had appeared through the tiny fragment of his shell that he had Yang Qing walk with, and that his real body was very much hidden away behind layers of powerful formation arrays meant for concealing and protection, Senior Veiled Destiny, through what was perhaps her superior deductive skills, or some of her scrying karmic abilities in full frontal display, or she detected that piece of Bu Zhou's shell on him, or she knew Bu Zhou well enough to arrive at that conclusion, which given her reaction, she clearly did, she said,

"A manifestation through a piece of his shell..."

"He must like you a lot to share that shard with you," she added, looking at Yang Qing appraisingly. "He is not one to easily expose himself like that."

"We are good friends," Yang Qing said, smiling as a growing warmth flooded his heart at the thought of a mountain-sized pale blue turtle that was always suspicious about everything.

I should go see him later, Yang Qing decided, chuckling inwardly at the thought of how the visit would go. As per routine, that senior of his was sure to put him through the Bu Zhou Special Welcome, which started with being hit by countless spells, techniques, and arts aimed at ascertaining his identity and that he had not been compromised in any way, shape, or form.

Only then would it finally settle into the final part of the welcome, which came in the form of subtle probing questions here and there used to confirm whether Yang Qing was still a kindred spirit and devout follower of the path of caution, healthy paranoia, and cowardice, or had he been tainted through certain bouts of bravery.

I fear I may be tainted already, Yang Qing wistfully thought as he examined his actions of late.

Of late, he felt he had not exactly been the paragon of paranoia and caution he prided himself to be. He'd betrayed the path, and not just slightly either, given some of the places he had gone to.

Just take the Azure Sapphire Kingdom. This was a melting pot about to explode; not to mention said pot had already exploded a few times, what with its civil war and all, and another already in the works. And yet Yang Qing, in his infinite wisdom, had gone there despite what he knew of the place and its rich history of wars.

Senior Bu Zhou was sure to give him a more thorough check than usual if he went by. He would not be surprised if that senior of his met him via a clone for fear of getting infected by the taint of "daringness" that had shown itself in Yang Qing over the past few days.

Hopefully news of the Star Shrouding Sky Crow will settle him, Yang Qing hoped.

Pushing aside the matter of the visit and the accusatory, suspicious looks he was sure to get when he saw Bu Zhou later, Yang Qing's attention returned to the items on the table, his eyes settling on the sheaves of parchment.

Lightly patting the sheaves, he said, "In here contains the suspected identities used by the kidnapper, as put forth by the Flying Shadow Hawks Division.

"There is Xie Huan, which is the identity the suspected kidnapper had used on Li Gang. It is of a rogue cultivator who has made a name for himself in herbology circles as a great harvester and finder of quality spiritual plants and herbs. He used a Heart Quenching Mulberry Dew to connect with Li Gang, who works as a branch chief at the Vast Blue Merchant Company. And through that Mulberry Dew, he lured Jiang Hao and then later his master," Yang Qing explained.

"The other identities uncovered are: Xue Peng, Guest Elder of the Drunken Dream Formation Manor.

"Cao Tian, a wandering painter whose travels have seen him become a regular frequenter of Hebei Kingdom. I wouldn't be surprised if his path crossed that of the Velvet Orchid Teahouse.

"And lastly, there is Wu Chen, a skilled appraiser with referrals spanning countless rank three organizations.

"Thus far, only those four identities have been uncovered. The Flying Shadow Hawks may uncover more..." It was more hope on Yang Qing's part than anything, as more identities meant more information, and more information was always better to work with, especially if you were looking to use something as esoteric as karma to track them.

"Xie Huan was the identity used to visit Gold Eagle Town. The saint-grade senior there must have recorded their soul signature the moment they set foot. I don't know if Senior can..." Yang Qing tentatively began, his voice trailing off.

"I will ask them," Veiled Destiny said, bringing relief to Yang Qing.

It was much easier if Senior Veiled Destiny did the asking than if it came from him, given the difference in ranks. While the Order was fair, especially in relations between fellow members, the common sense of the greater cultivation world still held its influence even within the Order. A request made by a powerful saint-grade treasure was sure to get a more prompt reply than one made by a palace realm judge with dashing looks, heroism, and a great deal of potential.

With the matter of the request settled, Yang Qing neatly brushed a few of the parchments aside, only stopping when the parchment with the title Frozen Serenity Sect Suspected Locations appeared.

His gaze settled on the parchment.

"I am operating under the assumption that Bai Chen had been targeted purposefully because of his cultivation art, which is a blue-grade art tied to the Frozen Serenity Scripture. The reason I believe so is because Senior Ren Shu shared something with me about two tribes that are known to be users of Nebulous Yin Qi," he said, his eyes shifting to the translucent ball.

"He said that two tribes of the Treefolk race are known to use it. One of them is the Dark Yin Water Oak Tribe, and the other is the Aurora Dark Winter Jade Spruce Tribe. Of these two, only the latter is severely dependent on Nebulous Yin Qi, to the point that they cannot cultivate without it in the early stages of their cultivation. And it even has fatal implications, with them dying without it."

Yang Qing paused slightly to collect his thoughts. "I am sure the Senior already has a better understanding of the Aurora Dark Winter Jade Spruce Tribe than I do, and their history leading thus far," he said somberly.

His gaze drifted as he spoke. "I do not know why they targeted Bai Chen, but I strongly believe his cultivation art might have been a factor, given its origins."

A certain heaviness filled Yang Qing's eyes as he said, "I recently handled a case that featured a sect whose legacy art was part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture. Over the years, spanning at least a thousand years, that sect had been hunting down people and organizations that had ties to arts related to the scripture. I cannot help but wonder why they did that, and maybe that why may also have some bearing on the why of Bai Chen being targeted.

"Those arts may have something more in them besides just being cultivation arts..." Yang Qing's drifting gaze moved back to the parchment, then to Veiled Destiny.

"This list contains suspected places tied to the Frozen Serenity Sect. Our kidnapper may have gone to said places, and in addition to that..." Yang Qing said as he went for the parchment at the bottom of the pile that contained a recipe.

"There is also a recipe list I was given by Dean Zhu Lao that belongs to a friend of his by the name of Wandering Scholar Song Quan. I found countless journals of his in that restaurant in Hebei, and I cannot help but wonder if there is a reason for it. I did hear he had a friendship with the Aurora Dark Winter Jade Spruce Tribe. I do not know if it is valuable or not, but if the Senior can find any use from it, please do," Yang Qing said as he shifted his gait and straightened it.

"The request I wanted is... is it possible to use all of this to verify whether my assumptions and suspicions are wrong or correct? And if correct, is it enough to verify the kidnapper's footprints, of where he has been and where he is going?

"I know it is a lot to ask, Senior," he said, bowing slightly. "I need your help. I need your help to find Bai Chen and the others. Will you help me, please?" Yang Qing requested as he looked up, looking sincerely and pleadingly at Veiled Destiny's obscured face. "I do not care about the why. I hope for the where."

Veiled Destiny set the teacup she had been holding down on the table. As she did, the items on the table lifted gently by themselves, almost as if carried by a gentle gust of wind. The table below transformed into a vast sky filled with countless stars and threads of golden light connecting them, which levitated and started attaching themselves to the items Yang Qing had placed on the table.

"Your guess was not wrong," Veiled Destiny leisurely commented as she turned toward Yang Qing.